


tell me how to fall in love (the way you want me to)

by pineapplekawa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Slow Burn, University, but also..
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-09 05:38:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11662713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineapplekawa/pseuds/pineapplekawa
Summary: There's something clean about standing in the pouring rain alone. Everybody always goes on and on about kissing in the rain instead, but Oikawa thinks it's just a tad overrated.And yes, he knows about how dirty rainwater is and how it's probably the most polluted here in the city actually, but that's not the point.He means that while he's at a complete standstill and the rain is beating down on his tired muscles, he finally gets a small taste of what it must feel like to be freed.(Un)fortunately, Iwaizumi is not one to let him go that easily.(In which Oikawa moves to Tokyo without his grumpy, spiky-haired ace. Or at least, he tries to).





	1. hung my head as i lost the war

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jascak9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jascak9/gifts).



> song inspo: clean (taylor swift) / cold coffee (ed sheeran)
> 
> i'm doing my MCAT in 2 weeks and i planned a full 14 (hah) chapter fic for my friend instead. yep.
> 
> the chapters will be alternating oikawa and iwaizumi POV (peep those chapter titles, i think they're neat)
> 
> if you stick around, i hope you enjoy!!
> 
> (italics are flashbacks)

Oikawa really loves rain. He gets teased about it by Makki the most, who sniggers that it’s such a shock since Oikawa cares about the appearance of his hair, excessively so, and his look of choice isn’t one of a drowned cat. 

_“Do you not hear each individual strand of your immaculately styled tresses screaming at the thought of rainwater?” Hanamaki snidely comments._

_Oikawa doesn’t justify his quips with an answer, but with a lazy smirk._

_Hanamakki narrows his eyes and continues. “Their screaming is almost as loud as your heart palpitations whenever Iwaizumi is within a 20 metre radius of you.”_

_Oikawa looks at him, feeling betrayed, and pouts. If you ask Hanamaki, he’ll tell you that both his cheeks were tinged pink with embarrassment but Oikawa will deny it to his grave._

The truth is, he does care about his appearance, but it’s an easy sacrifice to make when there is peace of mind to be gained.

With that being said, he doesn’t love the rain right now. Today, it’s a mere sprinkle, coating him head to toe with dewy drops, making him feel more alone than ever. He’s bothered by the weather and how mild it is. Aren’t the elements supposed to reflect how you feel inside? Pathetic fallacy and all that? Well, there’s a heavy storm inside Oikawa and nothing feels right, like every tiny drop is another twist in his gut, the pain hitting deeper with each movement and he doesn’t know how to stop the hurt. 

Hurts. Throbs. Festers like an untreated wound. 

Graduation was … nice. With his whole family in attendance and his friends by his side, what more could he have asked for? He feels selfish for wanting, craving, no, needing his whole team to be intact and together. He doesn’t think he’s quite ready to part with Seijoh just yet; he's not prepared for it to simply... end.

It’s more than just volleyball (although Oikawa’s life is comprised entirely of volleyball, Iwa-chan, and milk bread).

All the third years are scattering to different cities. Some are headed overseas and a couple are moving to another prefecture entirely. Makki, Mattsun, and Iwa-chan are all staying to go to Tohoku University. Even if they’re moving out to Sendai, it’s still 366 kilometres closer than Tokyo is. He’s not surprised that Makki and Mattsun are sticking together, the insufferable duo that they are, but it still hurts that they’re all moving away for school. 

And he’s leaving too. _Leaving._ Who would’ve thought? Actually, everybody expected him to leave. Star setter Oikawa, headed to the Olympics. Star setter Oikawa, scouted by only top tier universities in the most sprawling of cities. Star setter Oikawa would definitely be headed towards bigger and brighter things.

But what about Tooru? He thinks and thinks and really, he just comes to the same conclusion that he does every single time— Tooru just wants to keep tossing to Iwa-chan. 

He thinks of Iwaizumi and his breathing evens out to match the pace of his heartbeat.

Thump. Inhale. 

His heart clenches the way it does after missing a serve. 

Thump. Exhale. 

His fingers twitch as if they move to ruffle Iwa-chan’s spiky locks (which are surprisingly fluffy). 

Thump. Inhale. 

Like the thud of two sets of sneakers running down familiar streets.

He’s jolted out of his thoughts by the chime of his phone. He quickly pulls it out of his pants pocket and glances at the notification.

**iwa-chan ♡ (3:56 pm): Hey. You ready to go?**

The corner of his mouth quirks upwards to resemble a sad excuse for a smile and he types a reply back.

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (3:57 pm): hello to u too iwa-chan~!! i’m almost rdy let me go dry off n text u back in a sex!**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (3:57 pm): i mean SEC***

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (3:57 pm): LOL**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (3:57 pm): sorry to ruin ur innocence like that iwa-chan~**

The smile slides off his face and he moves to get up and head back inside his house.

——————

A couple of minutes later, the doorbell rings and Oikawa knows who it is. He’s almost afraid to open the door because it’ll just bring them one step closer to goodbye.

It rings again and he dutifully goes to open it. 

“Hey Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes either. 

Already too drained to protest the nickname, Oikawa just huffs out a laugh and pulls him into a hug.

He tries desperately not to think about how numbered these touches are, and how long it’ll be until they can see each other again. Modern technology has really saved him in terms of communication, but he knows that it could never be comparable to the real thing.

“Makki, Mattsun, and the rest of the team are going to wait for us at the station,” Iwaizumi informs him.

“Alright, let’s not keep them waiting then, Iwa-chan!” He tries his best to maintain a cheery disposition but it’s chipping away at his insides.

The newly graduated duo heads to the station, with all of Oikawa’s luggage in tow, after a proper send-off by his family. It’s a flurry of hugs and kisses and exclamations of “See you soon!” and “Don’t forget to call!”

Once they’re alone, they settle into a companionable silence that Iwaizumi breaks, for once. 

“Typical. You always overpack for everything, just like that time you showed up to camp with 16 outfits for a 7 day outing,” Iwaizumi huffs while pulling along a respectable number of Oikawa’s suitcases. 

“It’s not my fault you’re a brute that only needs the bare necessities,” Oikawa rebuts with teasing disdain. 

Iwaizumi barks out a laugh but lets him have this one.

The rest of the way there, Oikawa tries not to think about how different this is from packing for a holiday or a volleyball camp.

————

After he says his goodbyes to the team, holding back tears all the while, he thanks them for 3 good years. 

3 years of blood, sweat, and tears being put into a sport that they all loved. The team would be nothing without, well, the members of said team, and Oikawa is proud to have stood beside these boys. After he hugs and gives encouragement to every single member, they give him some privacy with Hanamaki, Matsukawa, and Iwaizumi. 

Makki and Mattsun smile ruefully at Oikawa and tackle him in a three-way bear hug, which sounds like it shouldn’t work but does. Kind of like how Makki and Mattsun are, to be fair.

“Don’t forget us little people when you’re winning Olympic gold, Oikawa!” Makki cries out dramatically.

“Dedicate your speech to us, you’d be nothing without us, clearly, just look at you,” Mattsun chimes in loud enough for the entire station to hear.

They follow up by smacking him on the ass like he’s a cheap hooker and passing him off to Iwaizumi. 

It's completely silent for a moment, the pinched look on Iwaizumi's face betraying how hard he's thinking about what he's preparing to verbalize. 

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi starts to say, and Oikawa already feels like his throat is closing up and he can’t breathe through the tightness in his chest. 

“You’re my partner that I can be proud of and a really incredible setter.” He pauses to take a steadying breath and Oikawa wonders how he can stay so composed in a time like this.

“Even if the team changes from now on, that won’t change.” Iwaizumi has a glint in his eye now, one that makes Oikawa’s heart falter in its rhythm.

“But when we compete, I’ll take you down.”

They both choose to ignore the wet glistening of tears unshed in each other’s eyes.

Flashes of the times that they triumphed, and lost, and fought their way forward as setter and ace play in the forefront of Oikawa’s mind, and he steels himself to say something back, eyes blazing with determination. Or is it love? Probably both, he concedes. 

“… I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

With that, Oikawa departs with a fist bump and unspoken words, as well as a promise. 

\----------

The second he sits down in his seat, the tears flow down his cheeks and onto his lap, their presence mocking him just like the tiny raindrops he watched in the park behind his house that afternoon. 

He blinks furiously and his focus goes directly to the phone lying face down on his leg. He picks it up without a second thought and sends out a quick message.

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (7:32 pm): miss u already iwa-chan!!~**

**iwa-chan ♡ (7:34 pm): Don’t be dramatic, your train has barely been gone for 2 minutes.**

He pauses as he sees the three dots moving, signalling that Iwaizumi had decided to grace him with a rare double text. 

**iwa-chan ♡ (7:36 pm): I’ll miss you too, idiot.**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (7:36 pm): aww, iwa-chan!!~ u do care ♡♡**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (7:36 pm): tokyo will b so lonely without u to be rude to me all the time :(**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (7:36 pm): i’ll miss u more!!!! 米＾－＾米**

**iwa-chan ♡ (7:36 pm): Probably.**

He lets out a deep sigh. If only Iwa-chan knew how true that was. 

His phone lit up with one more message.

**iwa-chan ♡ (7:38 pm): I’ll try and visit as soon as I can. Promise.**

The hopeful, watery smile that Oikawa has on his face would somehow stay put all the way until his arrival in Tokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not sure how regularly this will update, but i promise i have the entire thing planned so trust me and we'll see what happens alrighty??
> 
> the chapter titles will be alternating song lyrics (clean for oikawa, cold coffee for iwaizumi) until the last couple of chapters :)
> 
> buckle in kiddos! this is going to be interesting, for sure


	2. tell me if i'm wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise!! i'm back already :')
> 
> this one's in iwaizumi's pov, enjoy!

The second Iwaizumi loses sight of Oikawa’s frantically waving hand through the train window, he feels curiously hollow.

It’s almost as if colours were suddenly and remarkably more muted, more dulled; what was once a dazzling sunset that glinted off of perfectly mussed chestnut locks was now just muddled colours in the sky. The luminous city lights seemed dimmed like something grey had fallen over the wide expanse of the skyline. Even the twinkling constellations seemed to lack the extra iridescence that they had always boasted.

“Damn that Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi grumbles out loud under his breath.

He responds to each of Oikawa’s texts and vows to see him again as soon as he can. 

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (7:43 pm): can’t wait!! i’ll find the best agedashi tofu place in tokyo and take u there! (*´ー`)**

**iwa-chan ♡ (7:44 pm): Sounds like a plan. I’ll be sure to bring some of your mom’s milk bread with me.**

Iwaizumi sighs. In the meantime, he does his best to shake off the awful feeling of someone vacuuming his insides out with a grimace.

“Get a hold of yourself,” he thinks to himself sternly.

Perhaps he looks a little stricken, because Hanamaki sympathetically pats him on the back.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see your boyfriend soon enough,” Matsukawa comments with a serious look on his face.

Iwaizumi splutters a little bit before he regains his composure.

“He’s not my boyfriend! We’ve been best friends ever since we were little, how would you expect me to act?”

“Probably a bit less like a pining boyfriend who’s seeing his loved one off to a war.” 

“What?! I _do not_ look like that.” 

“The resemblance is uncanny,” Makki adds in with a nod of his head.

The two idiots promptly start to act out a goodbye scene that would put any period drama to shame.

Mattsun flings both lanky arms out haphazardly and tilts his head back in a dramatic fashion while dropping down to both knees.

“Oh, darling! I must go off and fight this war for the both of us. For our future, happiness, and unborn children, I will be brave! Promise that you’ll wait for me until I return.”

“My dear heart, the thought of moving on without you would not cross my mind in a thousand lifetimes. I’ll think about your lips every second of every hour of every meaningless day of my life without you in my arms.” Makki clutches his imaginary pearls and lets out a wail of agony.

“Oh, my schmootsie-poo, I will count the days by each star that drops to the Earth without you by my sid-“ Mattsun passionately dissents before he's interrupted.

“Shut up already!” Iwaizumi all but yells at their red, sniggering faces, “that last one didn’t even make any sense.” 

“Oh no babe, we’ve hit a sore spot.” Makki pretends to be chastised.

“You mean like the way you hit my spot?”

“No, no, not _that_ kind, save that one for the bedroom tonight.” He waggles his eyebrows in an exaggerated fashion.

Mattsun gives Makki a high five that echoes in Iwaizumi’s ears.

“Seriously, you two? We’re still in public. I’m going home. Feel free to be disgusting over in that direction.” Iwaizumi points to a grimy bench off in a lonely corner.

“But Iwaizumi! I’ll need your impeccable arms and manly strength to help me carry Makki home once he faints from overexposure to my charming wiles,” Mattsun tries to argue.

“If he's lasted this long, I’m sure he’s built up resistance to it already, like antibodies for a nasty virus.”

Iwaizumi doesn't intend to stick around long enough for Mattsun’s response, as he starts to head home.

“I’m not a nasty virus! I’m an ingenious _love guru!_ ” Mattsun hollers at his retreating figure. 

Iwaizumi definitely does not dignify that one with a response.

As he turns the corner, he faintly hears both of them arguing about whether their fake unborn children would be twins or triplets.

—————

He’s halfway home when he gets a call from his mother asking him to pick up a couple of things at the store. After the call ends, she sends him a text message listing the things she needs and Iwaizumi makes a detour to the local grocery store two blocks away.

He passes the small convenience store that the team frequented for snacks after school and pauses mid-step.

It’d feel wrong to just pass by and not go in, now more than ever, considering the circumstances.

And so Iwaizumi finds himself browsing the aisles, not exactly in the mood to eat anything but he buys a cheap coffee just so he has something to hold onto.

Black, no sugar or cream. He ruefully grins at how he knows Oikawa would scrunch his entire face until it resembled a wrinkled raisin and criticize him for his choices. Since it was coming from a guy who took his coffee with so much sugar and cream that it looked more like liquid dessert, he’s never really been offended. 

That’s when he really internally slaps himself for sounding like a mooning teenager.

“Get over yourself,” Iwaizumi grumbles again under his breath. He’s just going to university, not off to war like Makki and Mattsun had so kindly demonstrated earlier.

He really needs to stop thinking about Oikawa. 

As he walks up to the cashier, he hears his name being called.

“Iwaizumi-kun?” 

He looks up and sees a familiar-looking girl peering at him with a friendly smile.

“Kanako-chan! Hey. I didn’t know you were working here.” 

“I just started! It’s a summer job since my uncle owns the place. How are you doing?” 

“I’m alright, just dropped Oikawa off at the station with the rest of the team. He’s headed to Tokyo for school,” he replies while passing her a couple of coins to pay for the coffee.

“Oh, yes I heard about that.” she says with a curious tone in her voice and a facial expression that betrays her thoughts.

“What?” Iwaizumi’s interest is piqued.

“Nothing, it’s just we were all so sure that you two would go off to the same university together,” she responds.

“We?” He ignores the rest of her comment.

“Well, most of the graduating class assumed so.”

“Huh,” he grunts.

After some more rather mundane small talk, he politely excuses himself and continues on his way to the grocery store, coffee in hand.

The encounter with Kanako gets him thinking again. 

Before long, he notices that his coffee is starting to get cold. He quickly chugs it down with a grimace. Iwaizumi is no stranger to cold coffee—or bad coffee— and he’s certain he’ll be drinking more of it come next semester.

Next semester. Without Oikawa. 

Of course Iwaizumi already misses him. He can’t even think of a time when he _wasn’t_ right by his side. 

There’s more times that he can count on his two hands that he dragged that idiot out of the gym when he was running himself ragged—Oikawa really never knew when to quit. 

There’s silly things like humouring him when being dragged to go shopping for a new sea salt spray, or whatever it was, so that Oikawa could “look and smell as fabulous as if I just popped out of the ocean like Aphrodite, Iwa-chan!!” 

There’s every time Oikawa looked like he was doing the chubby bunny challenge with the sheer amount of milk bread shoved in his mouth while he tried to speak.

There’s every game Seijoh lost that shattered him that Iwaizumi was around to piece him back together from. 

His phone chimes again and it’s not hard to hazard a guess as to who it is. It’s almost like he knows Iwaizumi’s thinking about him again.

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (9:53 pm): hi iwa-chan!! i took a nap and i drooled a little**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (9:53 pm): not on ur shoulder cuz ur not here :((**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (9:53 pm): i’m almost in tokyo, it’s so pretty already!~**

**iwa-chan ♡ (9:54 pm): I’m surprised that you didn’t drool on somebody else’s shoulder since I’m not there. I’m glad you got there safe.**

**iwa-chan ♡ (9:54 pm): By that I mean I’m glad your big head didn’t keep the train from moving.**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (9:54 pm): why is iwa-chan so mean!! ur big butt would break the train, not my head (Ｔ▽Ｔ)**

**iwa-chan ♡ (9:54 pm): Good thing I’m not on that train then.**

He sends that last text fully knowing that he wishes more than anything that he was, in fact, on that train.

Iwaizumi puts his phone away in his pocket as he walks into the store to quickly pick up everything on his mom’s list. The rest of his trip home is rather uneventful, and he lugs everything home half an hour later. 

(The list was not as short as his mom had implied).

When he settles into his room for the night, he pulls his phone back out and snorts when he sees 8 texts from Oikawa lighting up his lock screen.

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (9:55 pm): gasp!!! u take that back! u know u wanna be here :(**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (9:55 pm): we all know it!! -`д´-**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (9:59 pm): iwa-chan where’d u go (T⌓T)**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (10:03 pm): ooOoOh look!! have u seen this yet??**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (10:03 pm): https://futurism.com/milky-ways-origins-are-not-what-they-seem/**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (10:04 pm): i want to be doing these studies one day!!**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (10:04 pm): how cool is it tht we’re made up of matter that was intergalactically transferred??**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (10:04 pm): this astrophysicist says we’re all technically space travellers~ (*ﾉ∀`*)**

**iwa-chan ♡ (10:23 pm): You dork. :)**

**iwa-chan ♡ (10:23 pm): I’m heading to bed now, too exhausted. Goodnight Oikawa.**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (10:34 pm): ok, gn iwa-chan!♡ ill call u tmr morning~! (^-^*)ノ**

**shittykawa *\\(✿◠‿◠)/* (10:34 pm): rEAD THE ARTICLE!!**

If anything, he’s just glad that Oikawa gets to study what he loves and isn’t stuck in some boring program he has no interest in just to attend the same school as Iwaizumi. The guilt from holding him back would've made missing him look easier than spiking one of Oikawa's sets. 

He plugs his phone in to be charged and places it on his nightstand, turning over to fall into an instantaneous, dreamless sleep.

——————

And so, Iwaizumi wakes up the next morning and patiently deals with the aftermath of graduation. He sends thank you cards to relatives, has polite exchanges with former classmates, and tidies up the aftermath of packing up for university. Because although Oikawa left first, it doesn’t mean that any of them are staying behind. 

He thinks back at how he even landed himself in this position. It was pretty simple, if you looked at the facts. The university in Sendai had an exceptional Geology program, and it was flexible enough so that he could also pursue a minor in Archaeology. The tuition was more affordable compared to, let’s say, going to university in Tokyo. 

It’s a pity that facts and logic, when thrust into reality, never account for important not-so-logical things such as emotions and 12-year-old-friendships.

Facts and logic sure didn’t account for Oikawa’s reaction, either. 

_There’s an unreadable look in his eyes, the one that Oikawa gets when he’s trying to hide how he really feels about something. Then it vanishes like it was never there to begin with and Iwaizumi blinks like he was just witness to the world’s best magic trick. He sees through his mask, of course, but he goes along with it because it's what Oikawa wants right now._

_"You're such a simple guy, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa says with a sneaky look on his face, “it’s fitting that you're studying rocks when there’s a character for rock in your name.”_

_“Shut up.”_

_”You might seem smart to other people for taking these courses, Iwa-chan, but I SEE YOU FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE—IT'S JUST ROCKS AND GODZILLA,” Oikawa yells triumphantly._

_“It’s like if Makki and Mattsun majored in Meme Studies,” he concludes, “or if I went and majored in Alien Studies.”_

_“You’re majoring in Astrophysics, is that not the same thing?” Iwaizumi rebuts with a scoff._

_Oikawa huffs and replies, “it’s the closest I can get without flinging myself to Mars or something, yep!”_

_“Then you’re one to talk, Shittykawa.”_

_Oikawa squawks in indignation at the nickname and they banter on for a while until they're called down for dinner by Oikawa’s mom._

_(A few days later Oikawa breaks down and they have a real conversation about what he was trying to avoid)._

And so, while it was a natural, logical decision to stay in Miyagi, it was completely unnatural that he and Oikawa would be away from each other. Oikawa leads, and Iwaizumi follows. It’s been this way since before he can even remember—but now Oikawa’s gone somewhere that Iwaizumi can’t follow. A certain somewhere that’s 364.8 kilometres away, to be exact, and he doesn’t know exactly when he’ll get to see him next. 

It’s a strange feeling; every time he reflexively turns to his side to talk to him but there’s nobody there. Quite a bit like missing a piece of yourself, he concludes. A rather distracting, Oikawa-shaped piece.

He supposes that it’ll get better, maybe even easier with time.

But nevertheless, Iwaizumi still hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not sure if i'll be able to update next week (lol the whole mcat thing) but we'll see 
> 
> we're headed to first semester next chapter!
> 
> feedback is always welcomed (´∀｀•)  
> (i feel like this is getting a lil heavy on the cheese but idk)


End file.
